“There’s a debate going on about whether you should have under-18s crossing borders, and from where I sit it’s a worry when the academies are filled with overseas talent as it does restrict English talent coming through,” Brooking told The Times.

“I’ve never queried overseas senior players coming over, as English players have got to be good enough to compete with that.

“There’s no point putting in quotas for the sake of it as English players have got to be good enough, but when the imports go down to under-18 and under-16, it stops English players coming through. That’s been a concern for a while. Five years ago we were saying if the imports go down to under-16 that will cause a blockage.”